Jonathan Claims Boko Haram Once Nominated Buhari as Negotiator, Ex-Aide Denies

Abuja, Nigeria — Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that during his administration’s efforts to negotiate with Boko Haram, the insurgent group proposed then-General Muhammadu Buhari as their preferred mediator. He made this claim during the launch of Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, a book by ex-Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor.

Jonathan, who took office in 2010 following the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, stated that his government set up multiple committees to explore non-military solutions to end the insurgency. He expressed surprise that, despite Buhari’s later ascension to the presidency in 2015, the insurgency persisted. He implied that the group’s nomination of Buhari could have paved the way for successful negotiations.

The former president also described Boko Haram as a deeply complex issue, more than just poverty or hunger-driven. He admitted the abduction of the Chibok girls was a lasting scar on his administration and urged future efforts to go beyond conventional security responses. He advised the Tinubu administration to adopt a “carrot and stick” approach to dealing with the insurgency.

President Bola Tinubu, represented at the event by Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru, emphasized the importance of learning from past conflicts and pledged his government’s commitment to ending insecurity through modernization of the armed forces and community-based strategies.

Buhari Camp Denies Insurgents Chose Him as Negotiator

Reacting to Jonathan’s claim, former presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu firmly denied that Boko Haram ever nominated Buhari as a negotiator. He reminded Nigerians that in 2014, Buhari survived a Boko Haram assassination attempt in Kaduna.

Shehu argued that Buhari was a known opponent of Boko Haram, and any claims of nomination may have stemmed from a splinter group without approval from the group’s actual leadership. He suggested that such claims were possibly political propaganda by Jonathan’s allies at the time.

He added that the terrorist group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, had repeatedly denounced Buhari and would never have chosen him as a mediator.

Key Quotes from Jonathan:

• “If they nominated Buhari, I thought it would be easier for him to make them surrender. But Boko Haram persisted.”
• “The Chibok girls issue remains a scar on my government. I pray we fully understand what Boko Haram really wanted.”

Notable Attendees:

• Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III
• Bishop Matthew Kukah
• Gen. Christopher Musa (Chief of Defence Staff)
• Former NSA Babagana Monguno
• Minister of Budget Atiku Bagudu